June 4, 2014

A Paris Brest-fast at République, Los Angeles

Nuzzled in between a vintage furniture store and a glass shop on La Brea, République is an unassuming LA café with a serious French kitchen.

The interior looks like a Parisian street market, with big open community tables and stone walls. Multiple bar tops throughout the vast space invite you to pull up a solo seat and enjoy a meal the way I remember so many Parisians would dine – with a newspaper and a big glass of wine.

In the mornings, a line forms along the bakery case, laden in sweet confections, with rows of baguettes and wine bottles lined up behind it on the wall.

In the bakery case, traditional French pastries like croissants and cannelé meet Italian donuts (“bombolini”) and American fusion desserts, like croissant bread pudding in cast iron skillets.

In addition to the freshly baked goods, the breakfast menu ranges from classic croque madames to short ribs and kimchi fried rice. Coffee comes in personal stainless steel carafes and gorgeous earthenware handmade by a friend of the owners.

For those of you not familiar with French pastries, a Paris-Brest is basically what would happen if a a cream puff and a donut had a dessert baby: a choux pastry ring, sliced in half, and sandwiched around a flavored dessert cream. République’s Paris-Brest gets an extra coating of chocolate love on top which makes it look particularly donut-y.

If you’re not already screaming “MOVE OVER CRONUT,” a quick slice into a République Paris-Brest could change your dessert allegiances forever.